Christmas-ists
A newly fashionable atheism has emerged in public discourse. Religious faith, in this account, is not only quaint; it is dangerous. In a recent conference titled Science, Religion, Reason and Survival, sponsored by the Templeton Foundation, religion took a beating. Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate
Icon of Creation
Because the world is passing through a dark period, in which its very existence is threatened, it is more important than ever to be open to the astonishingly good news of Christmas: God has taken on our flesh, and through that inconceivable act God has brought joy and hope to all creation. It is new
A New Politics for Latin America?
From 2006, a survey of the complicated political picture in Venezuela, Nicaragua and elsewhere
Festival of Lights
In the Bible used by Catholics, a pair of books celebrates an extraordinary Jewish military success that took place in 165 B.C.E. in the land of Israel. Surprisingly those two books are not included in the Hebrew Scriptures; nor do they appear in the Protestant canon. Can you name them? Hint: There
Priests and Nurses
Every year, as dioceses struggle to meet to the need for priests to pastor the growing Catholic population in the United States, the bishops import more priests from other countries. While the practice varies by diocese, in the aggregate it grows apace. It seems so far to be a helpful stopgap measure. The most significant…
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
On Friday evenings in the early 1950’s, after the dinner dishes had been washed, dried and put away, our family would be joined by our friends and neighbors, the Scaras, in front of our 12-inch Crosley console to watch a couple of hours of television. The first program of the evening, and my f
Letters
Letters
Those Who Serve
Religious You Will Always Have With You, by Richard Rohr, O.F.M., (10/16) was one of the finest and most thoughtprovoking articles I have read on the subject of religious life in today’s world. The author has shown how religious life can be and often is an initiation to a fuller Christian life, which…
Editorials
Light for Our Darkness
The most commonplace symbol of our Christmas celebration is a light shining in the darkness: a candle in the window, a star on top of a tree. The symbol is so familiar that we can sometimes fail to appreciate its distinctive message. Many lights shine in the darkness. Some of them can be brutal and
Books
Preachers, Teachers Take Note
In the more than 40 years since Vatican II the short document on the relationship of the Catholic Church to other religions Nostra Aetate has emerged as especially important Its section on the Jewish people suggests that mutual understanding and appreciation can best be furthered by biblical and
The Monk, the Poet, the Writer
In November 1949 the year after the publication of his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain Thomas Merton dropped a note to his old college friend Robert Lax about the latest news from the Abbey of Gethsemani quot People keep writing from India we should start a monastery there
Poetry
The Fathers: For Fr. Bill McNichols
From house to house he treks, and inn to inn, the feral dogs
The Word
When Heaven Meets Earth
Luke rsquo s Gospel has been described as the most beautiful book ever written One reason for that description is its infancy narrative with its familiar biblical language attractive characters and subtle theology Deliberately imitating the style of the Old Testament historical books Luke portr
Dignity and Respect Within Jesus’s Family
For most Christians the family is the first school of spirituality In that context we learn or do not learn the basics of morality and religion and we develop our sense of responsibility and mutual respect On Christmas Day we celebrated the birth of Jesus through whom we believe that we have e
Current Comment
Current Comment
Papal DiplomacyThe visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey in the final days of November was by far the most challenging of any of the trips undertaken thus far by the pope. It was this pope’s first visit to a Muslim country and came after the Muslim world had been angered by his now-famous allus
Faith
Dignity and Respect Within Jesus’s Family
For most Christians the family is the first school of spirituality In that context we learn or do not learn the basics of morality and religion and we develop our sense of responsibility and mutual respect On Christmas Day we celebrated the birth of Jesus through whom we believe that we have e
News
Signs of the Times
Church Groups Resist Contraceptive MandateClaiming that New York’s highest state court erred on several counts in upholding a state mandate that would require religious organizations to provide contraceptive prescription coverage for their employees, eight Catholic and two Protestant groups ha
Politics
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Culture
Vatican
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